Beside You
by KouenTaisa
Summary: If your heart wears thin I will hold you up, and I will hide you when it gets too much. I'll be right beside you.
1. Tears

**Title:** Beside You  
**Author:** KouenTaisa [on ] Chedders  
**Rating:** K+  
**Fandom:** NCIS  
**Pairing:** Abby/Gibbs  
**Status:** Incomplete  
**Category:** Drabble, Angst, Hurt/Comfort  
**Spoilers:** None  
**Summary:** If your heart wears thin I will hold you up, and I will hide you when it gets too much. I'll be right beside you.  
**A/N:** This idea just popped into my head and it won't go away. I'm sorry that it's horribly vague, but I think it's going to be a small mini-series.

_When your tears are spent on your last pretense_  
_And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense _  
_When it's in your spine like you've walked for miles_  
_And the only thing you want is just to be still for a while - **Marianas Trench**_

She was sitting on her futon in the sanctum of her lab, legs pulled tight to her chest. Gibbs paused in the doorway, his eyes taking in everything, but his focus stays on her. Caf-Pow cups are everywhere, and Bert is within arms reach, but she doesn't really seem to notice. Her face is buried against her knees, but he can see the slight tremors running through her body and his chest tightens. He should've come sooner. He wanted to come sooner, but the loose ends kept him away.

Moving without a sound, Gibbs kneels beside her, letting his fingers run along the exposed skin at the back of her neck. She doesn't acknowledge his presence with words and the sudden warmth of her body against his is not unexpected. Closing his eyes, he allows his fingers to run up and down her back in a soothing motion, not trusting himself to speak when he knows that words won't be enough. The minutes tick by and eventually she shifts beside him, hiding her face against his shoulder. She isn't crying anymore, and he doesn't know if that scares him worse than when she was.

He has already broken so many rules today that it only seems natural to sign how he feels against her back. The apology is just as silent as the breakdown that caused it. She fists his shirt in her hands, unwilling or unable to sign back to him. Unable or unwilling to speak the words that he dreads, but wants to hear nonetheless. She hasn't slept at all during the entire case and he knows that she is exhausted. He wants to voice his concern. He wants to take control and command her to lay down and go to sleep, but he knows that it won't happen that way. It rarely does.

Instead, he continues to shift around until he is lying back on the futon and her body is resting on top of his. It's warm and her weight is heavy, but not uncomfortable. Brushing his lips against the top of her head, he keeps his arms wrapped around her body, instilling his warmth into her. Abby already has everything else of his. She has his heart and his soul, and it only seems natural to give her apart of this as well. She's Abby and he is Gibbs, and in this moment, he wants to give back to her the one thing she's always given him.

Life. 


	2. Memories

**A/N: Very short update. The next chapter will definitely be some Gabby, because I think I kind of got this figured out... ish.**

Tony knew better than to stand in Gibbs way when his boss stormed out of the bullpen and headed toward the back elevator. They all knew where he was going, and none of them had the want or the guts to stop him. This last case had hit home pretty hard, touching base with one of their own in a way that made his stomach churn. The Navy Yard had been their home for the past week and a half, but they weren't really complaining. It had been easier to keep her safe when they were all around.

"Something on your mind, Tony?" the familiar accent jerked him from his thoughts and he looked up, smiling lightly at Ziva. They could finally relax now, but it still didn't mean it was all over. Things had happened that they couldn't fix, and all they could do was put their trust in Gibbs to do what he always did when it came to Abby.

"Nah, just daydreaming." his reply was easy and the grin on his face alleviated any of her worries, or at least, most of them. She was still worried about Abby and the fact that she had never seen Gibbs so angry. She had seen him mad plenty of times, but angry usually meant that you were out of control, and if their boss was anything, it was controlled. The look on his face the moment his eyes had landed on Abby, however, would always be something that Ziva carried with her.

"We finished the case," she voiced softly, glancing up at him. Tony hesitated before nodding, a sigh escaping him. He could remember cases that had lasted a lot longer than this one, but none of them came close to the intensity of this one. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could still see Abby in the hospital and the look on Gibbs face when his blue eyes had landed on her. He'd never seen the man so angry… so… raw. Not after Kate's death, or even that of Director Shepherd. Of course, the look on Gibbs face when he found the man that had hurt Abby had been so calculating that it had make him shiver at the time.

"Yeah, we did…" his voice was equally as soft as his eyes met hers. Understanding flowed between them easily as they both returned to staring at their computers, typing up the reports in complete silence.

Tony was thinking of the bruises on Abby's arms.

Ziva was thinking of the man with a broken jaw who was currently sitting in a jail cell.


	3. Flashbacks

**Title:** Flashbacks  
**Author:** KouenTaisa [on ] Chedders  
**Rating:** T  
**Fandom:** NCIS  
**Pairing:** Gibbs/Abby  
**Status:** In-Progress.  
**Category:** Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Angst  
**Spoilers: **SWAK  
**Summary:** It's Ducky's turn in the spotlight.  
**A/N: **My first attempt at Ducky and Palmer, so I hope this answers some questions, and that my first time playing the good doctor wasn't too horrible. I love you guys so much that I wrote this chapter up in the back of the car while on the way to my after-birthday dinner with my parents. No wonder it's the longest chapter. That's what I get for trying to ignore them. Chapter four is currently in the works. :D

"Do you think she'll be alright, Dr. Mallard?"

Ducky turned to his assistant, taking in the apprehensive look on the young man's face. Jimmy was standing over the dead female petty officer from another team's case, but he was looking up at his mentor. It wasn't the first time that he'd asked about Abby, but this wasn't the same as asking about her while she was in the hospital or while the man who had hurt her was still on the loose. Even though it had only been almost two weeks, her easy smile seemed nothing more than a memory and the Navy Yard would not be the same until their forensic scientist was back to her energetic self.

"Do not worry, Mr. Palmer. Jethro has always known what our dear Abigail needs." he responded after a moment. It wasn't the answer that the young man had been waiting for, but it was good enough. Nodding, Jimmy turned back to the body, once again focused on his task. Ducky went back to the paperwork he was trying to complete, but his mind was busy going over the details of the last few days in vivid detail. He had received the call from Jethro very early in the morning, and it was the unsure tone of his friend's voice that had spurred him out of bed and toward the hospital.

_He had been the first to arrive, closely followed by Mr. Palmer, Anthony, Ziva, and Timothy. By then, the ex-marine had told him what he knew, which wasn't a lot. The paramedics had called him on Abby's phone and requested that he come to the hospital. Even though he wouldn't voice it, the worry in his blue eyes wasn't completely masked by his irritation at not knowing why he was here, besides the fact that something was wrong with Abby. They all waited for well over an hour before they were fetched by Dr. Brad Pitt, the same man that had seen to Tony all those years ago when he'd had the plague. The look on his face had caused them all to be on their feet within seconds, but Dr. Pitt had been staring intently at Jethro._

_"She's been asking for you, Special Agent Gibbs."_

_It was all the incentive their fearless leader needed to break away from the rest of them, his body rigid as he stepped closer to the doctor. Whatever Dr. Pitt whispered to Jethro caused him to narrow his blue eyes as the doctor had a nurse take him on down the hallway. Anthony had been the first to step up after Jethro walked away, the worry clear in the way his brow was furrowed._

_"What's wrong with Abby, Doc?" he had asked, not liking the fact that they didn't know anything, and the look on the face of their Boss hadn't really helped to settle any of the unease they were feeling. Dr. Pitt took a moment, looking at them all before he sighed. They were a good team, and even though he was supposed to reserve such information for families only, he knew that Miss Sciuto wouldn't really mind, because this was her family._

_"One of her neighbors called to report a break in at her apartment, from what I gathered. They didn't know that she was home, but the police called in the paramedics. Miss Sciuto was brought in with multiple lacerations and bruising along her arms legs, and abdomen. She's complaining that it hurts to breath, but we're positive that her ribs are only bruised, not fractured or broken. She's suffered a fair amount of blood loss, but that's the worst of it all. I doubt she'll need surgery for anything, just some heavy pain killers and a lot of rest."_

_They had all visibly relaxed just a little, glad for the moment that she wasn't in imminent danger of dying. Timothy was the once that addressed the doctor after the ensuing quiet that followed his statement._

_"So, does that mean she'll really be okay?"_

_Dr. Pitt allowed himself a small smile, nodding at the team. "I believe so. She was in good enough shape to harass the paramedics to call Special Agent Gibbs on the ride over here."_

_Anthony had chuckled, shaking his head as he relaxed, allowing a smile to appear on his face. "Sure sounds like Abby alright."_

_Ziva had been the next one to step up, looking down the hallway. They all wanted to see Abby, obviously._

_"When may we see her?" the former Mossad Liaison had asked, turning to glance over at Dr. Pitt. The doctor visibly hesitated, but looked down at the papers in his hand._

_"I'll see how she's feeling after Special Agent Gibbs leaves-"_

_"That won't be happening, Doc. The Boss Man won't leave her here unattended. She's his favorite for a reason."_

_Ducky had offered an apologetic smile, even as he nodded his head. "I'm afraid young Anthony is right. Jethro won't leave our dear Abigail's side."_

_Accepting it without any resistance, Dr. Pitt had only nodded. "Of course."_

"Dr. Mallard, I think I found something-"

The uncertain voice of Jimmy Palmer brought him back to the present and Ducky nodded, setting down the file as he got up and walked over to his assistant.

"My dear boy, I think that is a little more than something…"


End file.
